This wooden leg was Hector Barbossa's replacement for the limb that was lost during Blackbeard's attack on the Black Pearl. Given to him during his time as a privateer, the peg leg was removable and contained a hidden rum supply. With the leg, Barbossa also carried a crutch, to help him keep balance while walking. Although the crutch was broken during the battle at the Fountain of Youth, Barbossa would continue wearing the peg leg as he returned to piracy as captain of the Queen Anne's Revenge.

Contents

History

Quest for the Fountain of Youth

By the end of Blackbeard's attack on the Black Pearl, Hector Barbossa lost not only his ship but also his leg. Through mysterious circumstances, Barbossa became a privateer in KingGeorge II's court, where he acquired this wooden leg. Barbossa soon met again with Jack Sparrow during Jack's meeting with the King at St. James's Palace. It was here that Jack inquired Barbossa about the fate of the Pearl. In response, Barbossa showed off his peg leg, simply saying that he lost the Pearl as he lost his leg.[2]

After Jack Sparrow's escape, Barbossa would wear the wooden leg throughout the quest for the Fountain of Youth. Barbossa wore the peg leg from a voyage aboard his ship, the HMS Providence, to an expedition through an island, where he soon reunited with Jack Sparrow. It wasn't until both Barbossa and Jack were captured and tied up at Palm Tree Grove that Hector revealed there was more to his wooden leg than met the eye—as it contained a hidden supply of rum. As Barbossa took a gulp, Jack reacts to this by saying he wanted one for himself. Barbossa then handed the wooden leg over to Jack, who toasts it to revenge. Unfazed by this revelation, Jack had saw through Barbossa's phony new image of being a privateer, with revenge being his true agenda, though Jack was keen to sharing the rum.[3]

Behind the scenes

Throughout filming On Stranger Tides, a peg leg prop would only be used for a few scenes, particularly the rum drinking scene. For the rest of the scenes, as Geoffrey Rush (Barbossa) had both of his legs, a blue screen sock had to be used for the peg leg's performance capture.[4][5]

Originally, as written in the On Stranger Tides: The Visual Guide, Hector's wooden leg would have contained a "handy cup" to go with the hidden supply of rum..[3] As described in a screenplay draft, Barbossa would removed a cup built into the leg, and tips the leg, pouring out rum into the cup; Jack would drink from the cup, while Barbossa drinks from his wooden leg.